Kenny Agostino who played for the St. Louis Blues last season has been signed for the Boston Bruins. He only played 7 games but was once the AHL MVP.

In the 2015-16 season for the Stockton Heat he played in 65 games and scored 57 points. Then in his 17 games of NHL experience he has 5 points. He is a left shot winger standing at just 6 feet and weighing in at 202 lbs. He is a guy that will most likely bring some speed to a third line that has been very lack luster for the Bruins these past few years.

Agostino would be slotted in next to either Ryan Spooner or even better David Backes. Either way he should bring a scoring touch to the third line. something the team needs. The best part is he comes cheap so that still leaves plenty of money for free agent David Pastrnak.

Also the Bruins will be very busy tomorrow as it is the start of NHL Free Agency. The team has been linked to some big names like Kevin Sahttenkirk.

Boston Bruins Make Championship Caliber Type Of Move

Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced on Tuesday that the team had acquired defensemen Nick Holden from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Rob O’Gara and a third-round pick in the 2018 draft.

Now I know what many of you are likely thinking. Nick who? Where is the big move? But pace yourself Bruins fans, this is the type of depth acquiring move that many Stanley Cup contenders do in order to bolster their squad.

Holden is a 30-year-old d-man who has played in 55 games for the Rangers in 2018-18 with three goals, nine assists, for 12 points with 14 penalty minutes. Holden had a career year last season playing in 80 games with career highs in all offensive categories with 11 goals, 23 assists, for 34 points with a plus-13 rating. In addition to having a stand out 16-17 regular season Holden added two goals and two assists in 11 postseason games for New York.

Holden played his first three professional seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets before being traded to the Rangers on June 26, 2014, in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft.

O’Gara who the Bruins traded away is 24-years-old and has played in 11 NHL games with Boston over the course of the last 2 seasons. O’Gara played in 43 games with the Providence Bruins in 2017-18 with two goals and six assists with a plus-five rating. He was Boston’s 151st overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

The move straight up for Holden is a solid one for Sweeney. It provides the Bruins with the defensive depth they need while keeping them flexible moving forward with Holden playing on an expiring contract.

It sures up their left side defensemen depth with a player that can play the penalty kill to reduce some of the high minutes that Zdeno Chara is racking up. This deal seems to take Boston out of the running for landing Rangers defensemen Ryan McDonagh or any other type of blockbuster trade for a d-man

Holden, a left-shot, has the ability to play either the left or right side adding some flexibility to the roster for Head Coach Bruce Cassidy when making the lineups or even Sweeney if he wanted to move a defensive piece out. Acquiring Holden fixes the depth issue Boston had without giving up anything off of their NHL roster, an impressive feat for Sweeney who opted to make an early trade to avoid paying the NHL trade deadline price.

In theory, Holden will likely pair up with Charlie McAvoy with the potential reunion of Chara and Brandon Carlo possible. But the good thing about Holden is the flexibility, so in theory, Cassidy will have plenty of options to fool around with to find what works and doesn’t work.

This certainly wasn’t the flashy move many were calling for, but it was the smart one. Credit to Don Sweeney.

Boston Bruins Need To Stay Away From Ryan McDonagh

Bruins Need To Look To Future And Not The Now

Recently the talks between the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins about a trade involving Rick Nash and/or Ryan McDonagh have heated up. Now, these would be great players to add to this team if that is the direction the team wanted to go. The only problem is that Sweeney and Neely have been pushing for youth. If this is the case then it should stay that way.

Also, it seems like the asking price for either of the two is Carlo a prospect and a high-round (1st or 2nd) pick. That is too much for two guys getting closer to the end of their career than the start. McDonagh is 28, Nash is 33. Both are a bit too old for the direction the Bruins want to go. The league is all about youth right now. Right now the Bruins have that and a lot of it.

This is also why some people do not see this as a problem. The problem is that they may be obliged to make a move. Thre is no need to make a move if there is no reason for one. Boston Has improved their defensive game a ton this year and bringing a new guy could mess with that.

I do not want to see the Bruins try and win now just because they are hot. I do not think they could beat the Capitals, Lightning or Pittsburg at this point in a series. Also, the Bruins are still a bit behind top teams in the west. An entire series with one would be difficult to come out on top. They should just stick with what they have and plan for the future.

Boston will still be able to make a decent playoff push this year but all the way seems like a bit of a stretch. The cup within the next five years is within reach if they stay the course.

All we can do is hope that Cam and Don decide to do the right thing when they are called upon.